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Lake District and Cumbria - Places of Interest
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Birdoswald Roman Fort
Gilsland, Carlisle, Cumbria CA8 7DD
Tel: 016977 47602
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Birdoswald stands high above a meander in
the River Irthing, in one of the most picturesque settings on Hadrian's Wall. A Roman fort,
turret and milecastle can all be seen on this
excellent stretch of the Wall.
With probably the best preserved defences of any Wall fort, this was an important base
for some 1,000 Roman soldiers, succeeding an earlier fort of turf and timber. The section of Wall
to the east, also of stone replacing turf, is the longest continuous stretch visible today.
Archaeological discoveries over the past 150 years have revealed a great deal about
Roman military life at Birdoswald. Three of the four main gateways of the fort have been unearthed,
as have the outside walls, two granary buildings, workshops and a unique drill hall.
People continued to live at Birdoswald after the Roman withdrawal. In the
5th century a large timber hall was built over the collapsed Roman
granaries, perhaps for a local British chieftain. Later, a
medieval tower house was raised here, replaced in the
16th century by a fortified `bastile' farmhouse designed to protect
its inhabitants from the notorious `Border Reivers'. Later
still in more peaceful times, a farmhouse stood there.
The Birdoswald Visitor Centre provides a good introduction to Hadrian's Wall, and tells the
intriguing story of Birdoswald and the people who have lived
there over the past 2,000 years. There is a cosy tearoom at
the site if you need refreshments, and a wellstocked shop
for souvenirs.
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 This
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